According to a recent survey done by Strativity Group Inc., 45% of executives surveyed in four continents say that their companies do not deserve customers’ loyalty. Tellingly, 55% claimed they don’t engage in dialogue with customers — and almost as many stated that they do not meet frequently with customers.

What’s going on here? Why might this be the case? The findings continue.

Just 37 percent of executives said they have the tools and authority to solve customer problems. More than half of the executives, 59.6 percent, agree that the role of the customer is not well-defined for the company. Only 32 percent of executives say their compensation is tied to quality of service provided to customers.

File under: What We Learned. We took a good look at the New Economy’s customer service promises — and business’s failings — a couple of years ago. What needs to be done to meet that potential? The survey responses offer some clues: